Check, Not Mate
by YouWereMyAngel
Summary: Her eyes are blinded with the light of an unexpected hero. Her ears ring with the last words of a martyr. Now she was alone and forced to ask herself: Do you believe in destiny? Short One-shot set immediately after Ruby falls unconscious. I don't own RWBY.


**Hi everyone! This idea came to me shortly after the end of Volume 3. Its a possible explanation of what happened immediately after the final fight, specifically with Cinder. So I hope you guys enjoy.**

 **Check, Not Mate**

 _Do you believe in destiny?_

Her ears rang. Her eyes ached. Her head pounded constantly like a drum. For the first time in a long time she felt off-balanced and uncomfortable. What had happened? She couldn't tell. One moment she was victorious, the next… what? For now all she could do was get up and let her blurry vision clear.

She was still on the ruined tower. It was just as it had been before. But the night air had an edge now. It felt… frozen. Not like ice, something more. A metaphysical stillness rather than a physical one. And of course, the main evidence of something amiss was the Dragon.

The creature was completely still. Its skin didn't bubble with semi-sentient darkness, its stinking breath didn't permeate the air and its glowing pupils didn't move with any of its malice or curiosity. How was that possible?

 _Do you believe in destiny?_

She remembered now. The fight. The victory, and then… _her_. She looked over to the child currently prone on the ground nearby. She looked vaguely familiar. Black hair and a red cloak. Yes, she had met her but couldn't remember her name. Clearly she hadn't been considered a factor in the plan. For the first time in a long time, Cinder was surprised.

 _Do you believe in destiny?_

Cinder felt dizzy. What was happening? Her plan had been perfect, so why was there this uneasiness in her chest. Still Cinder focused on what was in front of her. This girl. She was no longer an irrelevant factor. She had become far more interesting… unfortunately for her. Cinder drew her bow once more and took aim. The girl was defenceless. It was the easiest thing for her to kill her. Or it could be. And yet… something stirred in her mind. It was no accident that this girl had shown up right at this moment in this place. It could not be chance. A question rang almost audibly in her head.

 _Do you believe in destiny?_

No, this girl was too dangerous. Putting her down now would make all future plans easier. She let the bowstring pull taut and exhaled slowly. Her finger started to slip from the bow and…

… _do you believe in destiny_?

Cinder's aim faltered. The arrow loosed, but struck stone rather than flesh and bounced away harmlessly. Her vision blurred for a moment like a wave of nausea. Suddenly, the girl seemed insignificant. It wasn't worth her time to kill her. She should do anything right now but kill her. Just let Ruby and things will be fine and-

Cinder's eyes flared with power and recollection. Ruby Rose. Fifteen. Daughter of Taiyang Xiao Long and _Summer Rose._ Now she remembered. Cinder looked back at the girl. So that's it. Yes, Ms Rose's arrival here was not chance. In fact, this was perfect. It was time to-

 _ **Do you believe in destiny**_?

Cinder's headache resurged. Now she couldn't open her eyes for fear of more pain. What was this? What was happening to her? This wasn't supposed to happen…

… _do you believe in destiny, Cinder Fall?_

The pain vanished at those last words. They were her thoughts but it was not her voice. It was a voice all too fresh in her mind. The last words of a dying girl.

"How?" Cinder said to the air. "Why are you in my head?" Cinder had barely said the words before it clicked. "Ozpin."

The arrogant fool. He lied even in the end. He hadn't tried to harness the power and give it to the girl, he was transferring her girl's soul back into the Maiden. He lied to all of them. He intended to kill Pyrrha Nikos in order to revive Amber. And then Cinder had killed her. The Maiden and Pyrrha had been linked when… damnit.

 _Do you believe in destiny?_

The voice sounded smug now. Now it was definitely that girl's voice. She was stuck here. She was the one that had distracted her from killing Ruby Rose. But now-

Footsteps. Cinder spun around and noticed the sound of soon-to-be-intruders. Cinder smiled. Something she could handle. Something she could-

The pain again. This girl was now more trouble than she was worth. She had lost her chance to end the red capped student's life. Cinder couldn't do anything right now. Not until she had a better hold on her situation. So she hid. She skulked in the shadows as the Huntsman, Qrow she recalled, appeared from the edge of the tower. He rushed to Ruby's unconscious body. Gently cradling her in his eyes, Cinder heard him say "Its all right. I got ya, kiddo." He scanned the desolation of the tower for a moment before retreating and jumping off the edge with the girl.

Cinder returned to the open. She looked at the Dragon, then at the destruction of Beacon below her and Vale beyond that. She had achieved what she had thought was total victory. Why did she feel like she had lost somehow?

Only one thought was forthcoming:

 _Do you believe in destiny?_

Cinder took out her Scroll and sent a message.

 _Queen takes pawn. Second pawn promoted to rook. King unaccounted for._

Cinder looked out into the night once more. She smiled, "Yes. For better or worse, I do believe in destiny."

 **Comments and criticism is appreciated**


End file.
